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Empties November 2016

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! I hope your holiday season is going smoothly, and you’re handling everything ok. I don’t have my Ipsy review for November ready, yet, because I’m still thoroughly testing a few items. I also have to give you a tour of my freelance makeup kit! For now, I have a few empty items that I love that I wanted to share with you.

Dr. Teal’s Foaming Bath and Epsom Salts: Soothe & Sleep w/Lavender

I was given a gift set by my beautiful friend April with Dr. Teal’s Epsom salts and bubble bath, and I used every bit of product from it. I was already a huge fan of their Epsom salts, because as a person with chronic pain, I use Epsom salt baths as a method of pain management and self care. I had never had the chance, though, to try to the bubble bath and I’m glad I did. An Epsom salt bath is a little boring without bubbles, and with the bubble bath in the same scent, it really was super relaxing. The amount of each product they give you in the gift set is perfect – you have enough of each to enjoy them together until you run out.

Dr. Teal’s can be found at pretty much any drug store or large supermarket that sells such products. They have really amazing gift sets for this time of year, and they’re all very reasonably priced. The gift set I received is listed on Wal-Mart’s website for only $4.88, and they have other gift sets with additional items all under $10. Perfect treat for yourself and really nice, thoughtful gift for another. I will definitely be re-purchasing both the bubble bath and Epsom salts as well as trying out other Dr. Teal’s products in the future.

Elf Makeup Mist & Set

I think this was my second bottle of this stuff, and I will definitely be purchasing it again. I like that the spray pump gives you a pretty decent mist of product, and it’s especially great for people that are sensitive to scents, as it has none. It performs as a setting spray should – it helps melt each product perfectly into each other giving you a nice smooth and blended look. It also does prolong the wear time of my makeup.

Elf products can be found anywhere that cosmetics are sold. I have never seen this product priced above $4, so it’s very affordable as well. Of course, Elf is a cruelty free brand, so I will always be a fan. If you haven’t tried this product yet, you have nothing to lose (except maybe $4). But I really think you’ll like it too.

L’Oreal Eye Defense Cream

Lately I’ve been noticing more and more people are putting a bigger emphasis on skincare, and how important it is, and I’m really happy about that. I always kind of felt like the skin issues I had were “just the way my skin was” and never really thought I had any control over how it appears. I was very wrong. In addition to some other high quality products I’ve been incorporating into my routine, I picked up this cream earlier this year, and would use it sporadically when I remembered.

Now that I have a more thoughtful routine in place, I began using it every night (although it suggests use morning and night), and the skin around my eyes is very different than it was. My vibrant under-eye color has diminished quite a bit. I have this weird issue where you can sort of see the pores under my eyes because the skin is so thin, but this product has made them blend in more, and reduced their appearance significantly. The skin looks tighter and has far less fine lines and texture. I had been struggling with strange eczema-like symptoms around my eyes that has disappeared since using this cream daily. My under-eye concealer stays in place better, doesn’t crease as much, and I can even go without makeup under my eyes without it being as obvious. Even without a good night’s sleep, I’ve had no puffiness under my eyes, and my eyelids appear smoother. Eye shadows apply much more smoothly. Of course, as soon as I ran out of this product I immediately replaced it. I don’t think I’ll ever not use this cream.

Since it’s a L’Oreal product, you can find it anywhere the brand’s skincare items are sold. I believe the cream usually runs for around $15, but I got my second pot of it for only $12 on sale at CVS. If the skin around your eyes concerns you, this cream is worth a try.

Have you tried any of the above products? Did you enjoy them as much as I do? What about some other items you think I should try?